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Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Please give a warm welcome today to Shelley Shepard Gray author of inspirational romances, who stops by today to tell you about Christmas stories, inspiration and miracles. Read on and leave a comment, you could win an ebook copy of Shelley's latest holiday release: A Christmas for Katie. :-)

Christmas Stories and Christmas Miraclesby Shelley Shepard Gray

A Christmas for Katie has become one of my Christmas miracles. This year, my Christmas book for Avon Inspire was only supposed to be the paperback edition of Christmas in Sugarcreek. A new Christmas novella wasn’t part of my schedule- it wasn’t even mentioned. And then little Katie Weaver started talking in my head.

For those of you who are writers like me, I bet you know what I mean. A few months ago I kept imagining a story centered around six-year-old Katie Weaver, one of my favorite characters from my Families of Honor series. Never thinking that it was going to come to anything, I began writing this little book, mainly for myself. Well, next thing I knew, I had three chapters and a bigger idea.

So I somewhat hesitantly asked my editor if we could do something with this story. I had hoped to maybe post a chapter a week on my website, or perhaps even on Avon’s website. Then I got permission to write A Christmas for Katie as an eBook. Most recently, it became available through several e-retailers in paperback form.

Now, here I am, telling folks about it! I couldn’t be more delighted.

A Christmas for Katie centers around Katie being dissatisfied with a broken down and peeling nativity set in the front lawn of her town’s public library. When she asks the librarian to fix up the figures, Miss Donovan the librarian isn’t too interested in that plan. Eventually Katie discovers that Miss D. is a little blue because she doesn’t have a sweetheart. Well, Katie, who unfortunately always puts her needs first, decides to help Miss D. find a man…all so she can have a prettier nativity to look at!

It’s a sweet little story, and one that I’m very fond of. There’s a scene between Katie and her older brother Loyal that always makes me cry! If you enjoy Christmas stories, I hope you will give A Christmas for Katiea try. It’s really the little story that wasn’t supposed to be written…but I’m oh-so-glad it came to be.

I grew up in Houston, Texas, went to Colorado for college, and after living in Arizona, Dallas, and Denver, we moved to southern Ohio about ten years ago.

I’ve always thought of myself as a very hard worker, but not ‘great’ at anything. I’ve obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree…but I never was a gifted student. I took years of ballet and dance, but I never was anywhere near the star of any recital. I love to cook, but I’m certainly not close to being gourmet…and finally I love to write books, but I’ve certainly read far better authors.

Maybe you are a little bit like me. I’ve been married for almost twenty years and have raised two kids. I try to exercise but really should put on my tennis shoes a whole lot more. I’m not a great housekeeper, I hate to drive in the snow, and I don’t think I’ve ever won a Monopoly game. However, I am the best wife and mother I know how to be.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that in God’s eyes that is okay? That from His point of view, we are all exceptional? I treasure that knowledge and am always so thankful for my faith. His faith in me makes me stand a little straighter, smile a little bit more, and be so very grateful for every gift He’s given me.

I started writing about the Amish because their way of life appealed to me. I wanted to write stories about regular. likeable people in extraordinary situations-and who just happened to be Amish.

Getting the opportunity to write Inspirational novels is truly gratifying. With every book, I feel my faith grows stronger. And that makes me feel very special indeed.

It isn't easy to be Katie Weaver. Her sister-in-law Ella is about to have a baby, making Katie an aunt for the second time and she's only six and a half! Plus, her favorite librarian, Miss Donovan, seems sad. She won't even fix up the rundown nativity in front of the library in time for Christmas. Then, an old woman is attacked outside the library, and, one by one, the nativity figures start to disappear!

Luckily, there's a new deputy in town, Connor Fields. He takes a real liking to Miss Donovan and he promises to find the missing nativity pieces for Katie.

Now, all Katie has to do is pray that Ella's delivery goes well and that some kind of nativity is in place for Christmas Eve. Oh, and that Miss D. falls in love with Connor. Katie knows from watching her three brothers that it makes people real happy. And that would be a Christmas miracle indeed!

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